There is a growing need in industry to improve reliability, training, trouble-shooting, component identification, safety and maintenance for the vast array of manufacturing processes, equipment and machinery needed in today's industrial and modernized world. There is a growing need for skilled employees in these areas as the baby boomer generation retires and replacements having the necessary skills are limited. In recent years, microprocessor technology has allowed the integration of programming logic into various industries, including the fluid-power industry, so that today a computer can be programmed to completely automate the fluid-power and timing functions of a piece of equipment. However, this additional complexity has added to the need for better training methods for those who service or repair these complex pieces of machinery and equipment.
As these machines have developed, schematics were created to keep track of the machine components and functionality. Schematics are used not only to describe how the machine is assembled but also how the different components function together. Schematics may be used in every industry and for every type of machine. Schematic drawings make it possible to show circuit functions when using components from different manufacturers. A 4-way valve or other component from one supplier may bear little physical resemblance to one from a different supplier. Using actual cutaway views of valves to show how a machine operates may be fine for one circuit using a single supplier's valves. However, another machine with different parts may have a completely different appearance. Troubleshooting machines with parts from different manufacturers can require special training and knowledge.
Using schematic symbols requires learning only one set of information for any component. Schematic symbols also may provide more information than a picture of the part. For example, it difficulties impossible to tell which position a 4-way valve is in by looking at a pictorial representation. On the other hand, a 4-way valve symbol and its position on the schematic makes all features immediately clear. Another advantage is that by using schematic symbols and drawings that are in accordance with the International Standards Organization (ISO) format, the drawing can be read by persons from different countries. Directions, notes or material lists may be unreadable because of language differences, but anyone trained in schematic symbols can follow and understand the circuit function. Even though schematics and their symbols are universal in nature, a high percentage of the work force does not know how to read a schematic or translate the schematic symbol to the actual part of the machine to which it refers. This results in billions of dollars of wasted downtime.